More news this morning from KTVT-Channel 11. A day after the newsroom there learned that ace reporter-anchor Sarah Dodd had departed 12 days earlier comes word that Ginger Allen has been named the full-time co-anchor of CBS 11 News This Morning -- alongside Scott Sams, lucky girl. Allen, of course, replaces Shannon Hori, who moved to Miami to work for WFOR-TV, where, as our FrontBurning friends have noted, she appears to be a whole new woman.
But fret not, says the news release: Allen will continue as one of the CBS 11 "Investigators." Didn't even know they still had investigative reporters under the late-breaking-news regime of Regent Ducas, for whom there's no dog-bites-man story too small with which to lead the newscast. The full release after the jump. But be careful about flaunting those Katie Awards ... --Robert Wilonsky
Ginger Allen is the new co-anchor of the CBS 11 News This Morning, weekdays from 5 to 7 a.m. with Scott Sams.Allen replaces Shannon Hori, who now anchors the early evening and late newscasts at CBS 11 sister stations WFOR-TV/CBS4 and WBFS/My 33 in Miami.
Allen joined CBS 11 in 1999 as a general assignment reporter. She later became part of the station's investigative team and began anchoring the Saturday and Sunday editions of the CBS 11 News at 10. In addition to her new role, Allen will continue as one of the CBS 11 "Investigators."
Previously a lead reporter for WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Allen has covered major stories for NBC affiliates across the country in conjunction with the NBC News Channel. Prior to that, she was an anchor/reporter at KBAK-TV and anchor/co-host for KERN talk radio in Bakersfield, Ca. She has also worked as a reporter at KMIR-TV in Palm Springs, Ca. and as a researcher at CBS-TV in Los Angeles.
Allen's investigative work has garnered important results for consumers. Following her reports about the overheating dangers of lithium ion batteries, more than ten million batteries used in laptop computers were recalled. She also uncovered loopholes in the U.S. visa system that allowed terrorists into the country, exposed the sale of ephedrine to minors in the Dallas / Fort Worth area and discovered how thousands of prescription drugs slipped onto the domestic market without government approval.
Allen has also been widely recognized with awards for her work, including EMMY nominations, Dallas Press Club Katie Awards, and honors from both the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Bar Association. She holds a degree in Mass Communications from the University of California, Los Angeles.
